The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-06-11

secu,ion, In stripes, chains, jails, mobbings,
and every imaginable personal indigni'y,
from the slaveocracy, not only Ia Tennessee
and Virginia, but even in the northern states
lie was followed with the most furious zeal
by the champions of slavery, from town to
town and village to village nnl mobbed and
abused everyw where he went. The provoca
ton was his persistent attacks by tongue In
public places, and his active and keenly
pointed pen on every occasion upon the
great crime of slavery. He removed hi
paper from the city of Philadelphia, because
he could not safely publish it there, to the
wilds of the Vermillion river, in this county,
where his wife and other zellous workers IN
the cause conducted 1t, while he Travelled in
h. slave and border free states, denouncing
the gigantic curse and having become a
martyr by the brutality of his opponents, he
drew vast crowds in every town, and rarely
left place without having witnessed u
pitched battle of clubs, pistols, guns ana
knives between his friends and foes Mrs.
BENJAMIN Lundy was Esther Lewis, daugh
ter Of Henry Lewis %, and therefore rel
alive of s. r. Lewis of our sketch Hence, 1t
will be seen that as not only his father anu
oil his relatives, as far back as he can trace
them, were philanthropists, Quakers and
abolitionists, but were emancpa,ionists OF
the aggressive kind, as witness Mrs. Lundy,
who wrote herself and also accepted and
published editorials and communications OF
the most fiery sort, denouncing slavery and
its supporters in the superlative of condem'
natory terms, sending out her husbands pa
per by the thousands to slave owners, slave
drivers, slave dealers. and distributing these
documents among these already incensed
people, at the very time her husband was in
their midst, and at the risk Of his life, hurl-
ing his bi,terest invectives at their pet, pecu-
liar institution. With such antecedents,
born and bred an enemy Of oppression, it is
no wonder that MIR. Jehu Lewis took his
place in the front rank of the little band OF
Original abolitionists" in this region, nor
that his son Samuel r. followed in his foot
steps. There was another of his relatives at
Magnolia, Mr.. VIM. Lewis, son of Henry
Lewis, who became man Of note oil over
the west rs leader or captain of the
underground railroad" history of which
is reserved for future sketch.
EARLY BoYHooD.
In Pennsylvania, during the 10 years OF
his residency there, up to 1888, when he be-
came Is years old and left for the west, edu
cational facilities were little or none. There
was occasionally n log cabin school house,
here and there among the mountains, bat at
such long distances apart, and almost mac
cessible to children, especially those under
II or Is years old. Hills and even noun
tains intervened; deep ravines froEted them
or cut them Off in the rear; brambles, thorn
apples, nettles, osquitoes, venomous snakes
and even bears were often in the way; and
the way was often an imaginary line
through dense forests and beset with all the
above mentioned Instructions. School teach
ers could not always be had, so the school
house in the wilderness was oftener occupied
by bats, owls, toads, lizards and snakes than
by pedagogue and pupils, especially in sum
mer, for then the larger boys and girls were
kept at home by necessity, helping their par
ents to solve the often difficult problem OF
"getting living" of food and clothing fol-
themselves and the little ones. Samuel K
attended few Of these winter schools--jusi
enough to whet his appetite for learning
for an education which he never could OBJ
tain lie bought books expensive, too they
were in those days, and lily adapted to the
needs of the beginner and he studied by the
fire side nights and at odd moments. Though
he could not thus obtain liberal lucatioI
he acquired habit which we have observed
in many other old settlers, and one which Ii
of the greatest to them: they became stud
ents at an early age from necessity, and have
remained students all their lives from habit
and thus have acquired far better anC
more useful and practical general education
than their wealthy fellows, who, after grad
uatng at college on a smattering of classica
lore, considering themselves finished schol
ars, have ceased to learn and forgotten thu
little which they once knew.
After the family came west Samuel haC
little chances for school, though the Quaker:
built school house at an early date neal
Magnolia it was too far to it from his faith
ers farm; besides, Samuel being the eldest o
the children, very materially assisted on thu
| farm
| HIS MARRIAGE AND NEW HOME.
January 1st, 1912, he was united in mar
riage with Ann Eliza Harley, whose parents
came from Lancaster, Pa, to Putnam county
in 1910. The children born to Mr.. an,
Mrs Lewis were: VIM. R., living near Crane
Ridge; f. c., on the'Jol W. Armstrong
place in Deer Park; Oliver NJ, who dice
when 10 years old; Chas l.undy, promi
nent young lawyer and prosecuting attorne,